Often, when a person is diagnosed with ADHD, the first thing offered as treatment is medication. Medications are very effective at relieving some symptoms of ADHD but they do not teach you the skills you need to function in the world. A common expression you’ll hear is that “pills don’t teach skills.” This is where ADHD coaching comes in.
ADHD coaching is an ongoing alliance between a professionally trained coach and a client with ADHD. ADHD coaching allows the coachee to gain insight and to acquire knowledge to live a more effective and satisfying life by improving their performance and enhancing their quality of life.
How ADHD Coaching Can Help an Employee
ADHD coaching in the workplace allows an employee to develop strategies, systems and routines to better manage challenges at work, while exploring strengths the employee can capitalize on and contribute to the organization. Goals are set at the beginning of the coaching relationship with the collaboration of the employee, his or her supervisor and the coach. The coachee and the coach then work collaboratively to build awareness, explore the challenges causing any performance gaps and taking advantage of any opportunities to enhance performance through accommodations, skill improvement or job redesign, and together they create a plan of action to achieve their goals. Sessions can take place in person, on the phone or via Skype.
Coaching can help clients:
- Improve understanding about how their ADHD affects their performance at work and throughout their life
- Identify and appreciate their strengths and devise opportunities to use those strengths to contribute more to the organization
- Increase personal insights allowing them to take responsibility for behaviors
- Overcome executive function challenges through the acquisition of skills in planning, prioritizing, improving focus, getting organized, enhancing impulse and emotional control and more, which will allow them to improve performance consistency and effectiveness
- Learn to advocate for themselves and request job modifications, accommodations and other assistance
- Stay accountable during the challenging period new skill and behavior acquisition
The Importance of Finding a Qualified Coach Who is ADHD-Certified
Many organizations hire coaches to help employees improve their performance. These organizations may be tempted to work with the same coaches, or to hire a generalist coach to work with an employee with ADHD; however, this is a mistake. Generalist coaches do not have the sufficient knowledge and understanding of ADHD to be able to effectively guide the employee with ADHD.
A professional ADHD coach not only has a deep knowledge and understanding of ADHD, they also know how ADHD affects the employee’s ability to improve performance and how to circumvent these obstacles to be more effective. Consequently, an ADHD coach will offer a more supportive non-judgmental environment that allows employees with ADHD to thrive and contribute the best of themselves to the organization.
The Return on Investment for ADHD Coaching
Employees with ADHD who receive ADHD coaching at work tend to increase performance and effectiveness and be more loyal employees who contribute to the bottom line. As study by Joyce Kubik on the Efficacy of ADHD Coaching for Adults with ADHD evaluated 22 different ADHD symptoms in 45 subjects at three different times, before ADHD coaching and then one year after and four years after ADHD coaching was offered. Kubik’s study found that not only did ADHD coaching have a short-term positive effect on ADHD symptoms but that the effects were durable.
Where to Find an ADHD Coach
Visit ADDA’s Professional Directory to find trained professionals who can help. Additionally, ADHD coaches specializing in many issues are available through the ADHD Coaches Organization’s (ACO) Web directory.
Coaching Stories
Help Create Hope
We’ll share more success stories on this page; YOU can help. Your story can help other adults with ADHD struggling at work. Remember how you felt when you first discovered you were not alone? You found answers. You felt hope. You were empowered. That experience was absolutely life changing for you, and sharing your experience could be life changing for someone else!
Won’t you help ADDA give the gift of hope by sharing your story?
